Celebrating
our heritage was the focus at the opening of an archaeology exhibition and the
launch of a documentary DVD and book by eThekwini Municipality’s Bergtheil
Local History Museum in partnership with ARROWSA – Art, Culture and Heritage
for Peace. The three-tiered launch took place on Tuesday evening, 30 September
at the Bergtheil Museum, 16 Queens Avenue, Westville Durban.

The
exhibition ‘Who left this behind?’ explores archaeological and cultural
artefacts as evidence of layers of human habitation at the Palmiet Nature
Reserve Westville and surrounds. Keynote
speaker, Mr Gavin Whitelaw, KZN museum archaeologist who is well known for his
television appearances, reflected on ‘archaeology as a metaphor for life’ –
where we write a past with no written records, obscured with more recent histories.
“Archaeology in this sense also changes the way we think about the world… it
helps you see other ways of looking at the world in our day-to-day life.”

The
much-anticipated DVD, “River of Secret Lives” forms an integral part of the
inaugural exhibition as it renders the Palmiet Nature Reserve archaeological
site visually into the exhibit room. The documentary is narrated by renowned
South African storyteller Dr Gcina Mhlophe.

Westville
residents are part of the Centre for Communication, Media and Society (CCMS),
University of KwaZulu-Natal team of authors who crafted and edited the National
Heritage Council funded book, ‘Engraved Landscape Biesje Poort: Many Voices’
that also had its Durban launch on the same evening.

Guest
speaker, Prof Keyan Tomaselli, celebrated academic and author, shared that
working with their hosts in the Kalahari on grassroots comics and other
participatory interventions requires that “we step into our subjectivities to
connect theory with practice. Through auto-ethnography, this messy
observer-observed relationship involving multi-gender, multi-age, different
race and religious backgrounds has our (Kalahari) hosts respond differently,
and for us in the field, research is exciting.”

Mr
Jabulani Sithole of the National Heritage Council addressed the audience on
Heritage and presented copies of the launched book ‘Engraved Landscape Biesje
Poort: Many Voices’ for Durban Libraries to programme director, Mr Guy Redman
(Deputy Head of Libraries and Heritage, eThekwini Municipality).

Addresses
included a Welcome by Mr Sinothi Thabethe (Director, Durban Local History
Museums);

and a Vote of Thanks by Ms Mary Lange (Chairperson, ARROWSA; author
and exhibition researcher).

Musical interludes were performed by learners of
Ningizimu School, Montclair.

The
exhibition ‘Who left this behind?’ is currently on view at the Bergtheil
Museum, 16 Queens Ave, Westville, Durban.

About Me

ARROW(Art a Resource for Reconciliation Over the World)SA focuses on projects with predominantly youth in Durban, nationally and internationally in affiliation with Indra Congress: International development of the arts for Reconciliation. Projects include:
-ARROWSA Bechet twice weekly arts meetings held at Bechet High Sydenham.
-Research, action research, in association with the CCMS, UKZN
-Educational programmes and Applied Storytelling in association with the Durban Local History Museums, and other museums.
- Educational programmes in association with The Palmiet Nature Reserve, Westville, Durban
-Rock engraving recording projects - e.g.National Heritage Council funded
project in collaboration with CCMS, UKZN
- Annual Intercultural exchange exhibition in collaboration with DUT jewellery students
-National intercultural exchange trips in association with members of the Kalahari community and Western Cape theatre for development group, South Roots.
- International intercultural exchange trips in affiliation with Indra Congress.
ARROW was started in Plymouth UK in 2004 by David Oddie (www.art-peace.co.uk) now he leads INDRA Congress